No Time to Brush? No Problem!

Most people know that in order to achieve and maintain great oral health, you need to follow a fairly simple dental care plan: brush twice a day for at least two minutes each time, floss regularly, and visit your dentist bi-annually for professional cleanings and exams.  Barring any major dental phobia or significant access issue, following this oral hygiene procedure is as simple as making it part of your everyday habits.  But just like most “tasks” facing millions of people, there are always some who come up with enough excuses to give a hippopotamus a cavity.  There are some that I view as being “legitimate,” meaning they are considered real problems that take a real plan to solve.  I would put fear or anxiety of the dentist and financial constraints under this category.  But my favorite, “illegitimate” excuse for not maintaining an effective oral hygiene habit is “I don’t have time.” Really? Who doesn’t have 4 minutes a day to brush and 1 minute to floss? I don’t buy it, but for those who do, the solution to your time maintenance issue is here!

I recently ran across a Fox News article introducing the amazing “Blizzident.” Up until this point, electric toothbrushes have dominated the technologically advanced tooth brush market, boasting the cleanest mouth possible.  However, 3D printing has allowed engineers to develop a toothbrush that is tailor-made to fit your unique mouth and supposedly cleans the entire mouth completely in just six seconds.  The toothbrush is described as looking a bit like a “hairy pair of dentures,” and is made from a digital scan of your teeth taken by your dentist.  The scan is then used to place 600 bristles, which resemble normal toothbrush bristles but are finer and tapered to reach under the gum line.  To use this incredible technology, a person simply bites down on the brush and grinds their teeth for about six seconds, which the makers claim will completely clean the teeth.  These claims have yet to be substantiated through independent studies however.  Currently, the brushes are only available online and through a handful of dentists, costing approximately $299.  While that seems a bit steep, the maker’s point out that the brush could actually save consumers money on dental costs as well as invaluable time.  So now that the excuse of time constraint has been eliminated, what’s keeping you from achieving the best oral health possible?